GrandMarc Residence Hall (YMCA) @ Northeastern U | 291 St. Botolph Street | Fenway

Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

I just got back from the meeting. Took A LOT of notes (and a few crappy pictures too). I have to abridge it, but here's the details:

- NU intends to purchase the Hastings wing from the YMCA (leave it as is); that should cost $11 million
- The new residence hall will be completely NU students, although NU will be leasing this building from that Phoenix group.
- Building details:
Building Height: 198 feet, 17 stories
# of beds: 720
Total Square footage: 200,000+
- Dead end of St. Botolph Street will be redone and re-landscaped to look more like wavy path design(s) of the rest of Northeastern Campus.
- The building functionally will be extremely similar to International Village
- at least 1 large lecture room in basement (seats maybe 100 students), and 2 or 3 other classrooms (also underground)
- floors 2 thru 12 will be jack-and-jill doubles much like the ones in the honors housing of international village (i.e. 11 floors of double bedroom dorm rooms semi-privately connected to a bathroom.
- floors 13, 14, 15, and 16 will be apartment style, just like West Village housing. 3-4 singles per apartment (and STUNNING views of the city).
- Top floor will be a multi-purpose hang out area for students, more space for them to relax... possibly a green roof too.
- If West Village F and West Village H had a baby, it would be this building. Pre-fab yellow brick facade going up 2 sides, and then blue glassy facade going up the other two sides that offer the best views and most sunlight exposure.
- Due to its height, it offers very little interference to the screetscape up close.

That's all I've got so far.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Thanks! Was any opposition expressed at the meeting?
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Thanks so much for that! Great notetaking! You covered pretty much everything I was wondering about. I'm also interested in how the proposal was received and if there was any dialog that went on/suggestions made.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Ooohhh, there was PLENTY of dialogue and opposition (*I even chimed in a couple times). The proposal is excellent for NU, and it sounds like it'll mean more money for the YMCA, too; however, this was the first meeting where residents and YMCA members actually learned about the fate of the 16,000 square feet of gym space that NU is demolishing and building onto. Here's those notes:
- YMCA has 3 main blocks and was originally built in 1912; the Hastings Building and the "administrative" building (aka the block fronting Huntington Ave) will remain unscathed.
- The rear of the YMCA (the gym block) is neither aesthetically/historically significant, nor is it "meant for public consumption."
- Wendy Zinn, Executive Director of the YMCA, spoke. She described the gym facilities at the YMCA along with the other uses in the Hastings and ADM building. The basement of the main buildings contain an empty theater, multiple unused classrooms, and additional unused space. She admits that the facility is deteriorating and and that it's overwhelmingly likely that they will build a new gym facility in that unused space. 100,000 square feet of YMCA will be saved, and any empty space there will become gym. They're also trying to increase membership there as it has declined to 2700.
- The pool and the squash courts are the only existing exercise facilities that will be retained. They want to engage architects and engineers to explore using that basement space.
- YMCA members in the audience demanded a charrette before NU demolishes the gym building.
-*Wendy also mentioned that of the 2,700 members using this gym, 700 of them are Berklee and NEC students.

I suggested that NU explores how they would feel about extending YMCA members use of our existing 3 gyms on campus (excluding the 4th gym at Intl. Village exclusively for IV residents), at least for the duration of demolition and relocation of gym facilities to the basement. I also told Wendy they should see how YMCA members would feel about sharing NU gym facilities as well (rather than NU assuming they would all be interested in that deal). Lastly, I mentioned that I'd reviewed Berklee's BRA submission/plans to add the new residence halls to Mass. Ave and that included in those plans were gym facilities, thus potentially reducing the number of Berklee students that would depend on the YMCA for their workouts (and, unfortunately, declining YMCA membership even further).

Following the meeting, I was discussing the new residence hall with some classmates and had a genius idea that I bet would appease the community and the university:
- Increase the building height from 198' to 220' (same as International Village)
- Maintain same # of beds, lounges, and class spaces
- Add 2 levels of gym facilities to 2nd & 3rd floor -OR- 18th and 19th floor new residence hall tower.
The gym could be shared exclusively between residents of this building and YMCA gym members... a win-win.

Thoughts?
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

The only thing I have a problem in that section of the campus is that it's really disorganized and pedestrian unfriendly.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

KentXie said:
The only thing I have a problem in that section of the campus is that it's really disorganized and pedestrian unfriendly.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but that was one of the changes they addressed. They're going to end St. Botolph in front of Cullinane Hall, make it curve left as a one-way in front of Hurtig, and then loop back around the Gainsborough garage. The dead end street behind the Y, Dodge, and Mugar will be converted into another winding scenic pathway a la the ones around the rest of campus. They even plan to plant several trees surrounding the path and add more bench space... definitely looks a lot more organized and pedestrian friendly.

Unfortunately, I was sitting in the back and my pictures came out TERRIBLY. Nevertheless, we were told that NU would be unveiling their institutional master plan in the next week or two and it can be found on this website:

http://www.northeastern.edu/governmentrelations/community_affairs/institutional-master-plan.html

Keep checking that website for the new plans... I think they're unveling them publicly on Feb 11th.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

They don't want to bring the theatre back into use? The Cambridge YMCA did so a few years ago.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

ds: It appears from what you say that opposition to the project is not directed at the Northeastern dorm per se but rather the fate of the YMCA gym facilities. I read on line that the NEC is planning a new residence hall on the parking lot it owns on St. Botolph across fro Matthews Arena. Their new building would include recreational facilities too so that would further diminish the YMCA membership.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Sounds more like the YMCA isn't being open and honest with its membership and is trying to shift angst off itself towards NU. The YMCA has been considering liquidating the central branch ever since the Greenway location was proposed. I don't think the membership realized that since then, and all the proposals which have followed, the plan was to loose the entire facility at that location.

Years of mismanagement, deferred maintenance, and a general decline of membership has left that particular branch rather decrepit (it was already pretty bad in the early 1980s). To the point that any renovation or rehabilitation of that facility would require the influx of capital from liquidating parts of the complex.

I do not think the membership of the YMCA can grasp the fact that the options on the table are: temporarily loose facilities such that funding can be secured to renovate replacement space in remaining complex concordant to the size and needs of the current level of membership, OR have the complex be in such a state of disrepair it is finally condemned and sold to someone else for redevelopment which won't have the benefit of getting students out of the neighborhood.

The plan as dshoost88 has explained actually appears more favorable in its current iteration to YMCA members in that more of the existing complex would remain. If the 'community' mucks up this deal it would rather ironic if the YMCA later was forced to sell to a less sensitive developer whom could potentially obliterate the entire complex except for a facadectomy on Huntington Avenue.

NU would never conditionally share athletic facilities with the YMCA as part of a deal. It isn't their problem nor should it be. The temporary facilities YMCA members would like during construction are THE YMCA's PROBLEM as the seller and steward or their membership. Considering the YMCA's leadership has been trying to write off the central branch for years now, it doesn't surprise me no contingency plans or communication was made to that branch's membership. They were already left for dead awhile ago, in decades of deferred maintenance plus the Greenway debacle, and not paying enough attention to realize it.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

NU started as part of this YMCA, so they may deserve some special consideration here. Also, how can they close this Y until they finish (or even start) the replacement on the Greenway?
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

The YMCA is in no position to build on the Greenway so the plan to kill off the original central branch was shelved. The Huntington Ave YMCA is going to remain open with some renovations with the cash from this dormitory deal. Of course if this project falters, I don't doubt the administration is going to eventually dump the money pit of a facility in favor of improving facilities elsewhere in the city.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Northeastern started as part of the YMCA and became in independent institution in the 1920's. However, several members of the YMCA Board were ex officio members of the Northeastern Board. In the 1950's, Northeastern petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to amend its charter and remove the requirement to have YMCA execs on its Board, thus breaking all ties with the YMCA. There has been bad blood between Northeastern and the YMCa ever since. Allowing Northeastern to rent part of its complex in the past and now the sale is an indication of the desperation of the YMCA for cash.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Did anyone stand up to speak who mentioned that "Northeastern was responsible for all the arson in our neighborhood in the 1960's and 1970's"? He was at one meeting I was at. No one said anything to challenge him. Guess it's accepted fact?

I stood up and said something along the lines of, "If you said that about me I'd punch you in the face."
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Meh. It's a dormitory. I don't expect much beyond function.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Hopefully Northeastern/Phoenix will clean the facade of the Hastings Wing and replace/restore the windows. The YMCA has let that get very shabby.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Puke, reminds me of this thing (picture it before the flames):

5401452050_e25d863709.jpg
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

for a dorm building i think it has more architectural merit than the majority of others. I kind of like how it looks like there is a core building, with another one partially wrapping around it.

But, we do not have any better renderings or know what the materials are... we will see.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Looks like another rectangle with stripes BRA/Menino spec precast and alucobond special.
 
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